The Road that leads
by Zenthoknight
Summary: The vetrans of the 4077th are not as happy to be home as they thought they would be. All constructive reviews are welcome and encouraged.
1. Hawkeye

The new days  
  
Chapter One: Hawkeye  
  
Hawkeye Pierce landed in Bangor Airport 77 hours after leaving the 4077th. Tired, dirty but excited, he called his father.  
  
"Hello?" Hawkeye paused. This was the voice of his father, but the strong voice of his youth had been replaced with the trembling voice of an old man.  
  
"Dad, it's me. I'm home." Hawkeye heard the sound of the phone being dropped. When his father picked the phone up and began talking, it was with a much stronger voice.  
  
"Son, I'm so happy to hear that. Where are you now?"  
"Bangor Airport. Think you can come get me?"  
"Of course, I'll be there in about an hour."  
"I love you dad."  
"I love you, Ben."  
  
Hawkeye waited outside the airport, feeling like an outsider. He was home at long last. He was in his own country, without bombs going off or helicopters overhead. Yet, somehow some vital part of himself seemed left behind in the Swamp. It was absurd. For three and a half long years, all he had wanted was to come home, and now when he had finally arrived, he felt lost and confused. That all vanished when he saw his father coming towards him.  
"DAD!" he yelled, running as fast as he could towards his father.  
The elder Pierce's eyes shone with tears as he embraced his son. "I've missed you so much, Ben. I was so afraid that you'd never come home to me again."  
The old Hawkeye would have responded with a joke. All he could do was smile and nod, walking arm in arm with his father towards the car. During the drive, Hawkeye fell asleep. When he awoke, he would be home again. 


	2. BJ

Chapter 2: BJ  
  
BJ Hunnicut arrived in San Francisco at 6pm, four days after leaving the 4077th. He was driven by excitement, looking desperately for his wife and daughter. Ever since this morning he had a sinking feeling in his stomach, and he longs to hug his wife and daughter once more.  
Suddenly from behind him he hears a deep sigh. He turns around to see his father-in-law Floyd standing there.  
"Dad, what's wrong?" he asked.  
The old man seemed choked up with emotion. "Peg and Erin died in a car crash earlier today on the way to the airport. They were rear-ended and went into a ditch. The doctors say they were killed on impact and felt no pain."  
He gripped BJ tightly and the two men wept together harshly. He could not believe that they were dead. He had to believe that this was a dream, that he would wake up in the Swamp or wake up to Peg sleeping softly beside him.  
The days of exhaustion finally caught up with him and he slumped to the floor. As he blacked out, one thought stood out in his mind. "I should have been there....." 


	3. Colonel Potter

Chapter 3: Colonel Potter  
  
Sherman Potter stood outside his home in Hannibal, Missouri and just looked at it for a long moment. This was the day Mildred had dreamed about for years. The day that he himself both dreaded and longed for. Adjusting his dufflebag on his shoulder, he walked through the white picket gate. Standing in front of the oak door, he paused before knocking on it.  
"I'll be there in a moment." came the voice of his wife from inside. The door opened and Mildred Potter looked out at him, her face widening in shock and delight. Sherman thought it wonderful that even after all these years she could still take his breath away.  
"Sherm, why didn't you call?!" she yells as she hurries him inside the house and into his sitting room.  
"Darling, I wanted to surprise you. I'm retired now, and you're going to be seeing a lot of me." He grinned up at her. "And how often do I get the chance to surprise you?"  
All words stopped as she caught him in a firm embrace and soft kiss.  
"I'm expecting you to surprise me at least once a day for the rest of our lives, Sherman Potter."  
  
Midnight  
  
He sat outside on his porch, looking up at the stars. Being home from each tour of duty always hits him the hardest after looking up at the stars from his beloved home. He is glad to be home, glad to be with Mildred. But something inside of him has always driven him to be useful and to help others. Now that he is home he once again feels useless, old and empty. His hands shake slightly as he holds his drink in his hands, and he sighs. He goes back up to bed and to Mildred, almost wishing to hear a voice call "Wounded in the compound!" 


	4. Charles Emerson Winchester III

Chapter 4: C. E. Winchester III  
  
Charles arrived home to a lavish party and many family friends. He felt oddly out of place and forced the smiles that came to him naturally all of his life. Oddly he kept looking around almost longingly for Pierce or Hunnicut. Drinking cognac and brandy he almost yearned for something from the still. He excused himself early and went up into his room. For the first time in years he sat in silence, unable to bear the sounds of his beloved classical music. He wept softly to himself in the darkness, hoping beyond all reason that he would be back to his old self in the morning.  
  
Three weeks later  
  
He sat in his darkened room, brandy in hand. Once in line to be a chief surgeon at Boston Mercy, he had had to be placed on administrative leave after blacking out during a simple surgery. His father had decided that Charles merely needed some time to himself, partly out of concern for his son and partly to protect the Winchester name.  
He sometimes tried to convince himself that he had never seen the chinese musicians. When he slept, the nightmares came. The death of music. He couldn't stand to sleep, didn't want to be sober.  
  
For former Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, hell was a very real thing. 


End file.
